Presently, when a consumer purchases eyewear, such as prescription glasses, sunglasses or any other type of eyeglasses, the consumer basically has but two options with respect to protecting the eyewear from scratches and other types of damage. The first option is the hard case (or semi-hard case). This first option gives the consumer the greatest level of protection because the case completely encloses the eyewear. Hard cases are typically clam shell type cases or zippered type cases. Both of these hard cases work very well when it comes to protecting the eyewear. However, many consumers dislike hard cases because they are bulky, they take up a fair amount of space and they do not comfortably or easily fit in pockets. The second option is the bag (or pouch). The bag does have certain advantages. For instance, the fabric may be used to clean the eyewear lenses and it is very light in weight, not particularly bulky and, therefore, easy carry. Despite these advantages, this second option offers minimal protection because the eyewear lenses are still susceptible to being broken, scratched or otherwise damaged if dropped, placed next to a sharp or hard object, or stepped upon, as the bag is made from very fine fabric.
For the above-stated reasons, consumers that do not carry or otherwise use a purse or carry-bag tend to avoid using hard cases altogether, so the hard case remains in the car, in the office or at home. The bag, while easy to carry, is also easy to misplace, as it is just fabric. Consequently, many consumers simply use no protection for their eyewear. The problem, of course, is without protection, there is a much greater risk of doing damage to the eyewear, and eyewear can be very expensive to repair or replace. Consumers that regularly wear eyeglasses know that even a small scratch on a lens can be very annoying and uncomfortable to see through.
Accordingly, there exists a need for eyewear protection that provides good protection without suffering the disadvantages associated with the hard case and bag type eyewear protection described above. As explained herein below, the compact eyewear protective cover of the present invention satisfies this need.